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Daily news and top headlines for food manufacturing professionals

Perhaps one day you'll saunter into your kitchen, load ingredients in a combination printer/cooking machine and flip through scores of recipes before deciding what to print up for supper. You might find yourself eating foods you'd never currently consider, such as powdered crickets printed up as a palatable alternative meat.

Does your sweetheart have a milk allergy? You may want to hold off on the dark chocolate this Valentine's Day. Although dark chocolate generally isn't made with milk, a new FDA study shows that there are traces of milk in some candies.

A retired soldier who filed a lawsuit saying there were needles in his Burger King sandwich has reached a settlement with the fast food chain, his lawyer said. A retired Army sergeant filed the lawsuit claiming one needle pierced his tongue when he bit into his Triple Stacker sandwich and another lodged in his small intestine, requiring hospitalization.

A consumer health protection organization, As You Sow, filed legal actions today against Hershey's, See's Candies and Mars for allegedly violating California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. The consumer health group says the confectioners have failed to warn its consumers of the toxic chemical cadmium in the companies' chocolate products.

An advisory committee's recommendations for the nation's dietary patterns are due soon, and some advice may be changing. The committee is expected to downplay the importance of lowering cholesterol intake and may put less emphasis on eating lean meats.

In recent years, more and more studies are finding how animals are conscious of their diets, supplementing it with antioxidants. Following these animals could help us understand how early humans found nutritious foods and how that helped us evolve our senses.

Stronger sales of Frito-Lay snacks helped PepsiCo deliver a quarterly profit that came in above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday. During the period, PepsiCo said revenue for its Frito-Lay North America division rose 3.5 percent, boosted by a mix of stronger volume and higher prices.

Mercury is a potent toxin that can accumulate to high concentrations in fish, posing a health risk to people who eat large, predatory marine fish such as swordfish and tuna. Mercury concentrations in Hawaiian yellowfin tuna are increasing at a rate of 3.8 percent or more per year, according to research that suggests rising atmospheric levels of the toxin are to blame.

The prevailing notion about obesity is that if we just work out harder and eat a little bit better, then perhaps the obesity trend will subside in a few years. However, the key to really making a difference is food – the number of calories we eat is the most important factor in obesity.

Molson Coors Brewing Co. reported fourth-quarter earnings that fell short of Wall Street's forecasts. Its worldwide beer volume fell 0.3 percent. Molson Coors said a spate of issues including stronger U.S. currency will leave it with less free cash in 2015.

Kraft Foods says it will start sweetening its Capri Sun drinks with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. The company says the change will apply to its original Cpari Sun drinks, and the number of calories will decrease from 60 per pack to 50.

PACK EXPO East will be a resource for food brands, processors, and packagers seeking the latest solutions and insights to improve the sustainability, efficiency productivity and security of the manufacturing supply chain.

How and where Americans shop for food is changing dramatically. Men are still less likely to be the biggest spender in the household, but more men are now helping their partners by sharing grocery shopping duties and should be counted as a major force in the marketplace.

February 10, 2015 12:30 pm |
by International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Consumer advocates warn that the deal merging the top two broadline foodservice distributors — the only two with national industry footprints and national customers — would eliminate a significant competitor from the broadline industry and also reduce competition.

The world's biggest beverage maker is struggling to boost global sales volume amid economic volatility overseas and a shift away from soda back at home. To make up for weak volume gains, it's using a variety of tactics, including a focus on smaller bottles.

For the three months ending on Dec. 31, Dean Foods Co. earned $5.3 million, or 6 cents per share. That compares with a loss of $37.7 million, or 40 cents per share, a year earlier. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations.

MillerCoors CEO Tom Long plans to retire from the brewer over the summer. The 56-year-old Long intends to retire on June 30 after serving as CEO since 2011. MillerCoors is a joint venture between SABMiller PLC and Molson Coors Brewing Co.

Kenji Ekuan, the Japanese industrial designer who crafted the soy sauce dispenser, passed away at 85 last Saturday. The Kikkoman bottle has become a symbol of soy sauce not just in Japan, but around the entire world.

The average hourly wage jumped 0.5 percent between December and January — the sharpest monthly gain since 2008 — the government's survey of businesses found. The average has now risen 2.2 percent over the past 12 months to $24.75, comfortably above inflation.